


Shadow's Special Talent

by universal_hope



Category: Sonic the Hedgehog (Video Games), Sonic the Hedgehog - All Media Types
Genre: Gen, Humor, London 2012 Olympic Games, based on my own experiences with the game
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-12
Updated: 2017-10-12
Packaged: 2019-01-16 13:18:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,284
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12343455
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/universal_hope/pseuds/universal_hope
Summary: Shadow didn't plan to compete in any other Olympic event except the 100-meter sprint. But after losing a bet with Sonic, Shadow is forced to compete in the one event he hates the most - rhythmic ribbon! Swallowing his pride, Shadow twirls that ribbon, surprisingly gets the gold medal and the world record, and he's suddenly...proud of it? Just what is going on with the Ultimate Life Form?(Or: a thing I wrote four years ago that I still kinda like and doesn't make me want to curl up and die.)





	Shadow's Special Talent

There were no words to describe how angry Shadow was. He had come to the Olympics for one thing, and one thing only. He'd only wanted to defeat Sonic in the event he cherished the most: the 100-meter sprint. How did he ever get into this mess?

It was all because of that stupid bet...

* * *

 

_Shadow had no doubt in his mind that he could win this race. He knew for sure that he could beat Sonic this time. He wasn't going to let himself lose like he did in Beijing. All he had to do was concentrate._

_If only that blue idiot Sonic would let him do that._

_"Why did they put the heaviest weights in our shoes?" Sonic groans. "I can barely walk!"_

_"It's to make the race fair to the other competitors, idiot."_

_Sonic rolled his eyes. "They still don't stand a chance against me. I'm the fastest thing alive!"_

_"That is not an established fact. I'm just as fast, probably even faster."_

_"Please, Shadow. It's a fact, and you know it." Sonic changed the subject before Shadow could snap at him. "So, are you competing in any other events after this? Anything interesting?"_

_"No. Nothing but the 100-meter dash."_

_Sonic looked at him incredulously. "Really? Nothing else?"_

_Shadow shook his head._

_"Not even a few Dream events?"_

_"No."_

_"Not even any shooting events?"_

_Shooting? That sounded interesting. But Shadow still said no._

_"Not even-"_

_"What don't you understand about no?" Shadow said through gritted teeth. Sonic always had a way to get on his nerves._

_"Nothing. I just thought you would compete in more than one event." Sonic started to smile. "You've made things so much easier for me."_

_Shadow paused. "What do you mean by that?"_

_"Well," Sonic said with a cocky grin, "if you're not competing in any other events, everything else I compete in will be a piece of cake when I win this."_

_"What do you mean 'when' you win? You're not going to win this time. I am."_

_Sonic actually laughed at Shadow, a dangerous thing to do with Shadow already annoyed. "Come on, Shadow! You and I both know who's going to win. I'm so sure about, I can bet on it!"_

_"Oh, so you want to bet?" Shadow said through gritted teeth. "Then you've got yourself a bet. I'm not going to lose to you."_

_Sonic's smile widened. "Now we're talking! What's it gonna be, Shadow?"_

_Shadow didn't usually make bets, but his anger had gotten the best of him, and he really wanted to make a fool of Sonic in front of millions of eyes. This was the perfect time to do so. "If I win...you have to compete in a swimming event."_

_Sonic's smile wavered. "What?"_

_Shadow smirked. "You heard me."_

_At first, Sonic just stared at Shadow. Then his smile returned, seeming more sinis_ _ter than before. "Oh, I see. You want to play it like that? Fine. But if I win, you have to compete in another event, and that event is...rhythmic ribbon."_

_Shadow kept a straight face as he approached the starting line, but inside all he wanted to do was rip Sonic's head off. If there was one Olympic event Shadow hated, it was rhythmic ribbon. Of course Sonic would pick that._

_But Shadow didn't show his irritation. "Hmph...fine. I don't care."_

_"Great! Then it's a deal. You're_ so _gonna lose, Shadow!"_

_Shadow kept his eyes locked on the finish line ahead. "We'll see about that, Faker."_

* * *

You guessed it; Shadow lost the race. If he had been three-hundredths of a second faster, he would have won. But Sonic had somehow beaten him again. And now he was paying for it, by competing in the most ridiculous Olympic event ever created.

The dreaded rhythmic ribbon.

Shadow walked down to the floor, ribbon clenched in his hand. He could hear his name being called, and he could hear the gasps of the audience as he entered. They were surprised to see the gloomy, mysterious, no-nonsense Shadow compete in such a fun, light-hearted event.

_Oh, great,_ thought Shadow.  _This is going to do_ wonders  _to my reputation._

But the audience didn't judge Shadow. Anyone could clearly see that he didn't want to be there from the severe death glare he was sending to Sonic, who stood off to the side, trying to suppress a smile.

Shadow unfurled the red ribbon (actually, it was more pink than red, but there weren't any other colors to choose from, and Shadow insists it's red). Shadow considered bolting out of there, but he was no coward nor one to go back on his word. He swallowed his pride and got into position. When the music started, all he thought of was the many ways he could kill Sonic, and boy, were there a lot of ways.

Rhythmic ribbon wasn't as easy as it looked. It wasn't just twirling a ribbon and looking pretty. It required agility and coordination and skill. One misstep could ruin the entire performance. But Shadow, being the Ultimate Life Form, had no trouble with it. He moves pretty darn good for a first-timer.

When Shadow finished his performance, the audience broke into applause and wild cheers. This surprised him; he expected to be ridiculed. Perhaps they feared his wrath. At least, that's what Shadow thought. But the audience was cheering because they truly loved Shadow's performance, just as they loved everything Shadow did. Really, who doesn't?

Shadow looked up at a screen to see his score, even though he didn't care one bit, since he hadn't tried his hardest. When he saw his score, he suddenly realized why the audience was going so crazy.

He'd gotten the world record.

This was a real shocker. He didn't expect to get the record. He hadn't even expected to get a  _medal._  But now he had the gold medal and the record, in the one event he truly despised. And now...he suddenly...felt...proud of it?

Shadow got more than he expected in these Olympics. He'd come to the Olympics with one goal: defeat Sonic at any costs. Even though he had failed that, he now had a record to call his own and a gold medal to place among his other two silver medals. All because he had been dumb enough to agree to a bet with Sonic. He didn't know whether he should thank Sonic or murder him.

Shadow walked away in a daze. He was so caught up in his own thoughts he didn't realize that he had walked right past Sonic. Sonic paused in surprise when Shadow didn't immediately try to beat the living crap out of him. So he, being the stupid hedgehog he was, walked right up beside Shadow and started talking. Not a very smart move.

"Great job out there, Shadow," Sonic said with an impish grin. "I didn't think you would actually do that."

Shadow scowled at him. "I never go back on my word, unlike you."

"Hey! I keep my word...most of the time."

"Yeah, yeah. Tell that to Amy."

Shadow smirked when he saw Sonic's face flush deep red. Then he noticed Sonic was hiding something behind his back.

"What's that?" he asked.

"What? Oh, that. It's nothing." He didn't look at Shadow directly in the eye, and he was barely concealing a knowing grin. He pushed the item further behind his back. It certainly didn't seem like nothing. Shadow shook his head. Sonic couldn't lie if his life depended on it.

"Well, I gotta get going. See ya later, Shadow!"

Right before Sonic dashed off, Shadow caught a glimpse of the item in Sonic's hand; it was a video camera. Sonic had recorded the entire performance. Normally, Shadow would have blown a fuse and chased after Sonic, but for once, Shadow didn't feel like throttling the Blue Blur to death. Not even Sonic could dampen the euphoric feeling bubbling inside his chest. He had a record to call his own. It was all his. All his...

For the first time that day (or any day for that matter), Shadow smiled.

Just what is going on with the Ultimate Life Form?

* * *

Shadow was resting in the bough of a wide tree with his hands behind his head and eyes closed, peacefully listening to the sounds of London. (Even though he would always deny it with a passion, he was more similar to Sonic than he thought.)

He was about to doze off when he heard a familiar voice above him. "Well, look who it is. The man of the hour! How does it feel to be a winner?"

Shadow opened one eye and saw Rouge hanging upside down on the branch above him.

"What are  _you_ doing here?"

Rouge crossed her arms, a smirk wide on her face. "Well, aren't you in a good mood. I just came to congratulate you on getting a record."

Shadow closed his eyes again. "So you've heard about it, too."

"Of course! It's spreading through London like a wildfire! It's all anyone can talk about. When I heard about it, I didn't believe it, until Sonic showed everyone the performance."

"I knew Sonic would try to use that against me. The fool."

Rouge dropped down from her branch and sat next to Shadow. "You like it, don't you?"

He raised an eyebrow. "Excuse me?"

"Oh, just admit it, Shadow. You like having a record to call your own."

"Why would I like having a record in an event I hate?" Even though Shadow knew that was a lie, he wasn't going to admit it, especially to someone like Rouge.

"Sure, keep denying it. But I know you're lying."

"Can you please leave now? As you can see, I'm trying to rest."

"Not yet. You've got to see what you've started."

"What do you mean?"

"Haven't you noticed? Rhythmic ribbon is getting more popular by the second! It seems like all of London wants to get in on the action. Just look!"

It was only then that Shadow noticed the people below him. There were a number of people twirling ribbons. Bystanders clapped and cheered for them, even if they weren't that good. There was even a small group of people having their own little competition. Everyone was smiling and having a jolly good time.

"You see? You've popularized a sport that many people didn't even know existed. How does that make you feel?"

Shadow sighed. "This must be a nightmare."

"Oh, come on, Shadow! Stop being so grumpy. Don't you see? This is making everyone happy, and it's all thanks to you. Wouldn't  _Maria_ love to see this?"

That statement made Shadow want to punch that smug smile off of Rouge's face, but it also made him think. He did promise Maria to give everyone a chance to be happy, and he had made people happy with this one little act, even though it had been unintentional. And Maria used to love dancing. Shadow could imagine her among those people, twirling her own ribbon and laughing along with the others. That thought warmed his heart. Maria would have loved this more than anything. _  
_

Shadow sighed again. "I guess so."

Rouge smiled, knowing she had won. "Works every time."

"I'll get you for that."

"No. You won't." Rouge's eyes suddenly lit up. "Oh, I haven't even told you the best part. Rhythmic ribbon is so popular now, even some of our own are competing in it."

"You're kidding."

"I'm serious! And you won't even believe this- a lot of the guys are competing! Rhythmic ribbon is now a sport guys can play without damaging their delicate egos. Silver, Vector, Tails, and even those Italian plumbers Mario and Luigi are in it. Even Knuckles considered it." She laughed. "Now that is something I would pay money to see."

Shadow shook his head. He couldn't imagine that simple-minded, short-tempered powerhouse competing in such an event. Yes, that was definitely something to pay money to see. Shadow thought of the other competitors. He didn't want to admit it, but they worried him. They were more than capable of reaching his record, and he hadn't tried at all in his competition.

"So, do you want to go watch?" said Rouge.

"What?"

"Do you want to go see the competition? You know, just to see how well the competitors do...and see if one of them gets the record."

Shadow glared at her while she just smiled innocently. She really knew how to get under his skin. Shadow wanted to say no, but he really was curious. Would someone actually have the audacity to challenge his record? Would someone actually be able to beat it? He hadn't tried to win, so that made the possibility of losing his record pretty high...

"Fine," he said with as little interest as he could. "If it will make you leave me alone."

Rouge smiled. "Drop the act, Shadow. I know you better than anyone."

Shadow growled angrily. He knew he was beat. "You will speak of this to no one."

"My lips are sealed."

"Of course they are," he said sarcastically.

Rouge frowned. "I would think you'd have more faith in me. When have I told any of your secrets? I never told anyone that you love to sing terrible pop songs in your spare time. I never told anyone that you have a secret collection of magic pixie figurines in your closet. I definitely didn't say anything about that secret stash of Swiss Rolls you keep in your-"

"That's quite enough, Rouge!" Shadow hissed, hoping no one else had heard.

Rouge laughed. "I just love annoying you! It's almost as fun as messing with Knuckles." She grabbed his hand. "We'll, are we going to see the competition or not? Let's go!"

As Rouge dragged him along, he wondered one thing:  _Why do I even hang out with this girl?_

* * *

Shadow didn't pay attention to the performances as much as he paid attention to the scores. So far, no one had been able to take the record. Tails had come the closest, but he had been a full five points off, which is quite far off in Olympic standards. As the number of remaining competitors diminished, Shadow started to feel much better. Maybe he could still hold onto this record.

Silver was the last competitor. He smiled almost timidly and waved to the crowd as they cheered. Shadow rolled his eyes at that. Silver could be such a child sometimes.

Shadow analyzed Silver's performance, and his frown deepened as Silver continued. So far, his performance was almost flawless. Silver was very skilled and agile, and he was the first competitor that really made Shadow feel worried. Could Silver really beat Shadow's record? After all, he was a skill type, and Shadow was more of a speed type than skill type.

When Silver finished, the crowd burst into cheers. Even Shadow applauded a little, but definitely not as obviously as everyone else. Shadow had to admit that Silver did do great. But his respect for Silver was immediately replaced with shock and anger when he saw Silver's score. Silver had been able to beat Shadow's record, and Silver seemed pretty happy about that, not knowing that he had pretty much given himself a death wish.

Rouge, who was still right beside Shadow, noticed the rage-filled look in his eyes. It looked downright murderous. "Shadow...?"

Shadow didn't hear her. He was far too enraged to hear anything. Someone had taken away something he was so proud of. And that person just had to be Silver. Shadow didn't hate Silver like some people believed; Silver was actually someone Shadow could call a friend (even though his naivety did get on his nerves sometimes). But right now, all Shadow felt towards Silver was pure loathing. How dare he take this away from him? How _dare_ he?

Rouge shook Shadow's arm. "Shadow! Snap out of it!"

"I'm going to get it back," he said in a deathly calm voice.

"What?"

Determination replaced the anger in Shadow's eyes. He wasn't going to give up his record so easily. He was the Ultimate Life Form! He couldn't let someone lesser than him defeat him. Shadow was known for viciously defending what he thought rightfully belong to him, and he was going to do just that. He didn't care what others thought anymore.

A part of him told him that he was acting crazy. It was just a silly game, right? But his angry determination blinded him from reason. He was going to get this record back no matter what, and he wouldn't let it get taken away from him again.

Nothing could stop him now.

As he walked off, Rouge sighed and muttered, "I hate it when he goes into his competitive mode." She then looked at Silver. "Hopefully, Shadow will let him live to see tomorrow."

* * *

Surprisingly, Shadow actually enjoyed participating in the sport a second time. It wasn't the ridiculous event he'd thought it to be in the past. It made him feel almost...what's the word? Happy. It almost made him feel happy, because it made him feel closer to Maria. It reminded him of the times Maria would make him dance with her. Rhythmic ribbon reminded him of all the good times he had shared with her. This performance was for Maria.

Shadow put his heart into that performance. He twirled that ribbon like his life depended on it, and the audience loved every second of it. Shadow was the favorite to win, and win is what Shadow intended to do. The other competitors didn't stand a chance.

When Shadow finished, the crowd went absolutely wild (they certainly love doing that, don't they?). The jugdes gave him a perfect score! Shadow was happy about that, since it meant no one could challenge him again. The record truly did belong to him now.

Silver came to congratulate him. "That was amazing, Shadow! Truly spectacular!" He rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "I'm, uh, sorry I took your record before."

Even though Shadow still felt a bit sore about that, he couldn't stay mad at Silver. "No need to apologize. I really don't mind anymore."

Relief washed over him. "Oh, great! That's good." Shadow could have swore he heard him mumble, "I'll get to live to adulthood." Silver was so much like a child, but at least he wasn't as annoying and immature as a certain blue hedgehog.

"Hey, Shadow!"

Speak of the devil...

Shadow wasn't too thrilled to see Sonic. This whole complicated mess wouldn't have happened if it weren't for him. Shadow's time at the Olympics would have been so much simpler without him around. Even though that bet made Shadow see the Olympic competitions in a different light, he still hated Sonic for what he did. Shadow certainly wasn't going to thank Sonic for anything.

So he opted for another choice...

"You did pretty well out there," Sonic said. "I never thought you would come back to a sport you despised." Sonic purposefully emphasized the word 'despised'.

"Well, no one asked for what you thought. Oh, and I have something to give you." Shadow tossed a life jacket to Sonic. He caught it and looked at it with confusion.

"What's this for?"

"Didn't you know?" Shadow said with fake innocence. "You will be competing in synchronized swimming tomorrow. Amy was thrilled to hear that you were so  _willing_ to join her team."

Sonic's yell could probably be heard halfway across the planet. "SHADOW!"

As Shadow walked off calmly, a smirk played across his lips as Sonic went crazy. Ah, sweet revenge...

**Author's Note:**

> So here's the whole backstory to this thing:
> 
> I played rhythmic ribbon as Shadow on Mario and Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games and got the record for it. I had every little move and every single beat perfect. I naively felt that no one could challenge my record, until my sister beat it with Knuckles. And she didn't even have to do it perfectly. How does that even make sense? Apparently different character types get more points for the events. So I tried to win back my record using skill types, like Silver and Waluigi, but I still couldn't get it, and it really pissed me off. Why would a power type do better at rhythmic ribbon than a skill type, who you would think would be better at it? I rage-quit the game for two weeks until I got the record back with Vector, but it just didn't feel the same. I could not ignore the bias the game has for power-type characters. Poor Shadow didn't have a chance, and I wanted to give it back to him. So now you have this. 
> 
> Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this old work of mine. Note that it is cross-posted on FanFiction.net under a different username. That account is dead right now.


End file.
